Variables in this dataset include: my original data on the location and capacity of private prisons in the United States from 1986 to 2016 (see figure above), proportion of inmates held in private facilities (post 1999), the year each state privatized, an original measure of the approximate number of corrections officers that are unionized in each state, among other demographic, political, and social variables. Some of these variables are available from 1984 forward, while others are only available post 1999. This is the dataset included in my book project and is available publicly through the Perspectives on Politics Dataverse here. Use of the dataset is recommended, however attribution is required.

The codebook for the facility database is located here.